Teddview Audiovisual Archival Management (TAAM)

Monday, January 7, 2019

M/STARONGA – APRIL 9 1940

The story
of the Radio Operator

The Captain
on M/S Taronga had decided to seak port of refuge in the City of Larvik- a
Norwegian seaside city. Norway was attacked by Germany. An official message was
forwarded all Norwegian ships ordering the ships not to go to Norwegian harbours.
On board M/S Taronga the Radio Operation Sven Johan Johansen was working. He must have received the news.
No Norwegian ships must go to Norwegian harbours. The Radio Operator left the
ship. The date of his disembarkation of the ship is still unknown. But on April
9, 1940 he is still working on the ship as a Radio Operator. We do not know the
reason why he left the ship and how come that he is noted signed on a new ship
in Suez, Egypt on May 5, 1940? What happened to the Captain and the rest of the
crew? No official information about the crew has been published –so far.

SUEZ- EGYPT
-1940

Radio
Operator Sven Johan Johansen- born January 28, 1907 in Oslo- signed on a new
ship May 5, 1940. The name of the ship is: D/T Captain A.F. Lucas. The ship is
recorded in Panama. The shipping company is: Balboa Transport Corporation,
Panama. The ship was built in New York in 1903. In 1948 the ship was
scrapped-broken up.

THE RECORD
OF THE WAR SAILING OF SVEN JOHAN JOHANSEN

What
happened to the Radio Operator who left Norway in 1940 to join the Norwegian
merchant fleet – Northraship – to fight for Norway?

He was a
sailor from 1940 to 1945. The list of the ships he embarked contents of 8 ships:

We do not
know the date of his arrival in Norway. The last ship where he had signed on
was D/S Ek. The date was August 31, 1945. On May 28, 1980 was awarded the
Norwegian “ Krigsmedalje” for his participation during the WWII.

So far the
official information about Sven Johan Johansen is that he left a ship in Norway
in 1940 and returned to Norway in 1945. If you take a look at the list of ships
where he had worked, let us focus on the story of one of the ships: M/S Prins
Harald.

M/S PRINS
HARALD

The ship
was transporting war materials for the battlefields in North Africa. The cargo
contented some ammunition. The convoy KMS3 was attacked on November 20, 1942 by
a German submarine U-263 about 240 miles west of Gibraltar. M/S Prins Harald
was hit by a torpedo in the starboard side. On board the ship was Captain
Westbye Foss-Sørensen [1]and
First Mate Jaampa Krog.[2]
They made an attempt to save the ship. Invain. The ship was blown up in a
tremendous explosion. The remaining officers and a British gunner, Jack G.
Jones were killed. The Radio Operator Sven Johan Johansen survived the German
attack. An inquiry about the event was held in London December 7, 1942. He had
to report to the inquiry about the sinking of the ship. He was searching for
the Captain asking him if the use of radio was necessary: Negative answer to
the question from the Captain. Then he entered the lifeboat.

The
official story about the Norwegian ship which refused to die has not been
written yet. Anyway we have got one name of interest to the story of the ship: The
story of the Radio Operator Sven Johan Johansen who was born in Oslo but his
address was officially Peder Grønsgt.2, the City of Sandefjord – a seaside city
of Norway.

The most
interesting part of his story is how he managed to sign on a ship in Suez,
Egypt on May 5, 1940? – and how many of the members of the crew went with him?

[1]No information about the Captain
in the book about Norwegian sailors killed during WWII: VÅRE FALNE 1939-1945. Sjøfolkenes
innsats

[2]First Mate Jaampa Krog was the
son of the famous Norwegian journalist and playwright Helge Krog. Jaampa Krog is
noted in the book: VÅRE FALNE 1939-1945.Sjøfolkenes innsats. Page 301.

Saturday, December 1, 2018

THEE CITY
OF SETE- FRANCE: WAR MEMORIALS

The City of
Sete – known as Cette until 1928- is a commune in the Herault department in the
Occitanieregion in southern France.

“… A war
memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or
victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war…” – so far
the definition of war memorials and the aim of setting up war memorials.

When I
walked along the streets of Sete, I found a nice public park where a war
memorial was set up for public viewing and information. From a historical point
of view, I think any information about military events, political conflicts and
issues dealing with a country,are facts of common interest even if the facts
are unpleasant. The French wars in the French Indochina and the former French
colony Algeria are controversial political issues that many want to forget.
Many French soldiers were killed during the conflicts mentioned. Even if many
disagreed with wars, people wanted to set up war memorials to pay homage to
those who died. In Sete a war memorial is set up to in memory of the soldiers
who died during the war in Algeria- “ La Guerred’Algeria A.F.N 1952 -1962 “. Some areof the opinion that war memorials are made ony to glorify the wars, but
some want to honor those who died even if the wars were not wanted wars.

Historical
facts are facts even if you dislike the information given to you.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

“…An
aphorism is a short witty sentence which expresses a general truth or
commentor a pithy observation which
contains a general truth…” so far the definition of aphorism.

The famous
Norwegian aphorist, Gunnar Hauk Gjengset, has made it again publishing his own
written aphorisms. His latest book was released in 2018 by his own publishing
company HAUK Forlag AS. It is a small book contenting a critical selection of
his already published aphorisms. Only 114 pages. The Norwegian title of
the book is: “ Som oftest er det snarere tvert imot og andre sukk”. HAUK or Gunnar Hauk Gjengset, began
writing aphorisms about 40 years ago. The Norwegian newspaper “Adressavisen ”
located in the City of Trondheim,Norway, found his writing interesting . For about 25
years the newspaper published his aphorisms. The aim of writing short sentences
contenting witty observations mixed with some truth is not to make you laugh
only. No. The writer is making an attempt to create general statements in the
texts to convey a moral or philosophical idea hoping to present an universal truth.
Anyway , reading the book I could not resist the temptation of laughing too
much because I saw the fun described in the texts. But I know that HAUK is a
serious working man. He is not an easy going man but rather a complicated person
whose life is a story of dramatic events. For your information only: He was
arrested in the former Soviet Union in January 1970 for demonstrating against
the Brezhnev regime. Leaflets supporting the release of author Yuri Galanskov
and Pyotr Grigorenskowere distributed
by Gunnar Hauk Gjengset in Leningrad .He was sentencedto one year of imprisonment . Due to
international pressure ,he was released after a month in prison. His experience
as a prisoner in Soviet Union was published in his book: “ Behind The Iron
Curtain”.

KLASSEKAMPEN
– NORWEGIAN NATIONAL NEWSPAPER

Under the
pseudonym ,HAUK, aphorisms are still published in the national newspaper,
KLASSEKAMPEN. The daily column, Dagens sukk, - or in English: Sign of the DAY,
has made the newspaper famous in Norway.

Gunnar Hauk Gjengset has a Ph.D. in
comparative literature from Umeå University in Sweden. He has written several
books including plays and a biography of Gustav Vigeland the famous Norwegian
sculptor.

Let me give
you an impression of the content of his latest book. Sorry, but I have
to quote in Norwegian.

Friday, November 16, 2018

ESTONIA,
HISTORY AND MOVIES: HOW TO GET EASY ACCESS TO THE DRAMATIC HISTORY OF ESTONIA?

If you want
to get an easy access to the most dramatic stories about the history of Estonia
that took place from about 1918 to 1945, I will recommend viewing of some interesting
movies. Any movie dealing with historical events must add some fictional scenes
mixed with facts of the events. The positive results of the viewing are that you
have a good time at the same time as you get some facts about what went on
during some dramatic years. Let me comment on three movies that I bought in
Tallinn last week: “ 1944”, “NIMED MARMORTAHVLILL ( Eng.Title: Names In Marble)”
and “ TUULEPEALNE MAA (Eng.Title:WINDWARD LAND)”.

1944

The movie
is a dramatic war film where you not find any heroes only soldiers who were
fighting a war without any positive hope. When the German army liberated
Estonia from the military and political occupation of Estonia during the Second
World War, many hoped that the Germans would support the setting up of an
independent Estonia state. Therefore many young boys and girls joined the
German army to fight the Russians. Even some believed that the Russians
supported an independent Estonia state too or they accepted the political
change making Estonia a state with the Soviet Union. All of the participants in
the fighting for Estonia were betrayed. Between the German army and the army of
the Soviet Union, a three fighting force had been established: The Forest
Brothers. Those forest fighters managed to liberate parts of Estonia for a
short period. But no support was given to the forest fighters because Soviet
Union was supporting the Allies fight against Germany. The Estonians found themselves
trapped in a difficult political and military situation. No victory for those
who believed in a new Estonian state. The content of the movie deals with the
feelings and hopes of the soldiers fighting in three different groups. A splendid
movie directed by Elmo Nuganen. The film was released in 2015.

NAMES IN
MARBLE

We have to return
to 1918. The Estonia War of Independence is a reality. The movie deals with some
students who had decided to fight on the nationalist side. The students are all
boys. They are not well trained for military duties but they all fight hard.
Some of the students got killed too. The movie reveals the conflicts between
two ideologies: Estonian nationalism and Communism. The war lasted to 1920. The
enemy was the army of Soviet Russia. The film was released in 2002. The story
is based on a novel by Albert Kivikas. The director of the film is Elmo
Nuganen.

WINDWARD
LAND

I have viewed
all the episodes of the Estonian television miniseries yesterday. Time
consuming business viewing all the episodes on one day! The movie deals with some of the
most dramatic years of the history of Estonia. The movie was aired in 2008 and
2013. The series takes place from World War One, encompassing the war of
Independence of Estonia , the story of an independent Estonia nation, the
democratic struggles to make a democratic state of Estonia, the occupation of
Estonia by the army of Soviet Union. The series was directed by Ain Prosa. The
series make use of archival footage showing how the German army was welcomed by
people in Tallinn believing that the Germans would support the fight for an
independent Estonia state. We get to know the Forest Brothers too and the Fascist
Vaps Movement of 1933.The members of the Forest Brothers fought the invading
Soviets even when the WWII was ended in Europe. World War II decreased the
Estonian population by 200,000 people. About 30,000 of the population were
killed in battles, half of them wearing German or Finnish uniforms. About
800,000 people fled abroad. The guerilla warfare in Estonian forests continued
for more than a decade.

All the
movies can be bought at the Estonian Film Museum/ Estonian History Museum
situated at Maarjamae Palace, Pirita tee 56, 10123 Tallinn, Estonia.Post@ajaloomuseum.ee.

Good luck
with your historical education made by viewing historical movies.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

ESTONIA: I CRY FOR YOU

Last week I
stayed in Tallinn. I bought two small books about the history of Estonia
dealing with the Second World War. Two small books and a movie too. The books
were written by Mart Laar: “ Estonia in World War II” and “ Rød terror. Den
sovjetiska ockupationsmaktens førtryck av Estland-Red terror. Repressions of
the Soviet Occupation Authorities in Estonia”.

A review of “ Estonia in World War II” was
made by me January 7, 2010. Eight years ago. But the book is still topical as a
historical document. Mart Laar was born in Viljandi. He graduated in 1983 from the
University of Tartu. History was his favorite subject. In 1995 Mart Laar
received his Master’s degree in Philosophy from the same university and his
Doctorate in 2005. I think he is qualified to make historical statements about
the different political and military issues dealt with in his books. The title
of the movie I bought is: “1944”.

The movie is splendid contenting the
complicated political and military situations for Estonian during the WWII. The
film was released in 2015. The war drama was directed by Elmo Nuganen. The film
deals with the mental conflicts of young Estonians who had been conscrited into
the German forces and of those who had joined the Soviet forces. You do not
find any heroes in the movies. The story of the battles are described to make
you understand the difficult situations for all Estonians who were betrayed by
all: The country was first occupied by Soviet Union, then the country was
occupied by the German forces and finally occupied by the Red Army.The movie contents
information about Scandinavians who sided with the German forces fighting in
Estonia. But the Norwegian soldiers are not mentioned only the Danish soldiers.
The Estonians hoped to gain independence by supporting the German forces.
Betrayed by the German forces independent Estonian resistance movement tried to
liberate the country by hard fighting. The Forest Brothers made an attempt to
fight the communist terror and occupation- but invain. I cry for you, Estonia.
You have suffered too much. Good luck.

The young Norwegian boy was only nineteen years of age when he died in Estonia.His name was: Thorvald Sandli Bergum.

Monday, November 5, 2018

ON BOARD
WITH ART- JOIN THE SEE TO SEE MODERN SCULPTURES

CELEBRITY
CONSTELLATION

The main
aim of cruising in Mediterranean was not to view modern sculptures and modern
art collections set up on the cruiser. No. But I was impressed by the art
collections on the ship. I got a new activity hunting and exploring sculptures
which were set up on sites where I did not expect to find modern art. The name
of the ship is: “ Celebrity Constellation”. A splendid cruiser. Splendid crew.
Splendid food and above all: Excellent entertainments in the evenings. An
exhibition of modern art too.Please join me in my admiration for the art on
board. I took some photos. But I could not find any information of the artists
who made the sculptures? By doing some research I found the name of the
sculptor who made the" man in uniform" sculpture: Daniel Oates.

Placards with names of
the artists should be put close to the sculptures, I think.

Some fact
about the cruise ship: GTS Celebrity Constellation is a Millennium –class cruise
ship of Celebrity Cruises. The ship was built at the Chantiers de L’Atlantique
shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.During the summer period the ship sails to
Mediterranean and the Caribbean(winter).

Sunday, November 4, 2018

TOM LEHRER:
WANTED BACK TO PUBLIC LIFE TO WAKE UP PEOPLE

Tom Andrew Lehrer was born on
April 9, 1928. He has retired as American musician, professional songwriter,
singer, piano player, satirist and above
all: Teacher in mathematics. His humorous songs were recorded in the 1950s and
1960s.

“… I was only 18 years of age. But I did it. I
went to his house, I rang the bell and I asked for a meetingwith Tom Lehrer. He accepted my request about
a meeting. He is a nice person I recall…”

The story was told during a meal on the cruiser
“ Celebrity Constellation” by astranger about a week ago. The main reason for
the talk about Tom Lehrer was my quotation from one of his famous songs: “ …we
will all go together when we go…”. The ship was in trouble due to bad weather. We
did not know about the next harbor for the ship. Anyway the talk with a person whose
name I forgot to get made me think about my personal memories connected to Tom
Lehrer. For your information only: The cruiser called Celebrity Constellation
was inaugurated in 2002. The ship can take about 2,184 guests.

In 1967 the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK)
transmitted a television programme where Tom Lehrer performed playing piano and
sang his own written songs. I was fascinated by the content of his songs. When
I came home from travelling I did some research on Tom Lehrer by contacting
WIKIPEDIA. With reference to Wikipedia the performance in Norway was recorded
on video tape September 10 and aired that autumn. I still remember the
performance.

Wikipedia was my main source for further
information about Tom Lehrer: Life, career, songs, performances and statements
about the reasons for his early retirement from public performances. Anyway I
was surprised to see that no information about a Norwegian presentation of a
selection of his songs recorded on long playing - full frequency range recording
in 1967. The songs selected for the recording were: “ The Marines”, “ My Home
Town”, “ So Long, Mom”, “ Pollution”, “ Brotherhood Week”, “ Be Prepared”, “Who’s
Next”, “Smut”, “ MLF Lullaby”, “ I Hold Your Hand In Mine”, “ The
Wienerschnitzel Waltz”, and “ We Will
All Go Together When We Go”.

The songs were all translated into Norwegian by
August Mauritzen. Songs were performed by Sølvi Wang and Ola B. Johannessen.

For your information only: Tom Lehrer is 90
years of age. He wrote songs contenting issues that we need to evaluate today
too. He might be regarded as an old man but his mind and songs are young and
topical even today – and that is sad because we should have made some changes
in the fields mentioned in his songs- welcome back Tom! We need you more than
ever!